Black Bass with Tomatoes

Sorry about the lack of picture but the link has died.  I was digging through old recipes and discovered I hadn't blogged yet about the fish we had for our non-traditional, Italian-style 5-course Thanksgiving dinner.  

Black Bass with tomatoes is another fabulous recipe from Mario Batali.  Like lots of his other dishes, this is simple with few ingredients, but those ingredients count making it a wonderland in the mouth.

My fish monger didn't have black bass, so we used sea bass instead (a favorite of ours!).  This was the "secondo" course and we served it with crusty bread and broccoli rabe.  If you are a fan of fish and need a new way to cook it, I highly recommend his one!

Black Bass with Tomatoes (Mario Batali)

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves, plus 1 tablespoon
• 2 tablespoons chopped fennel tops, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1/2 tablespoon red chile flakes
• 1 (16-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes, drained, crushed by hand
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 small scorpion fish, cleaned and rinsed (or 2 red snapper, 1 1/2 pounds each)
• 1/2 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped to yield 2 tablespoons

In a 12 to 14-inch saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, the garlic, the herbs, and chile flakes: cook until the garlic is lightly browned and onion is softened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and salt and pepper, to taste, and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the fish in a pan that just holds them.

When the sauce has cooked, pour it over the fish and place the pan over low heat. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes, until the fish are cooked through. Sprinkle with the parsley and the herbs and serve immediately.